1. Field of invention
The present invention relates to a debarking drum and, more particularly, to debarking drums of the type having longitudinally spaced-apart debarking ribs mounted to an inner surface thereof for removing bark from logs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, conventional debarking drums generally consist of an elongated rotatable cylindrical drum having an open inlet end for receiving the logs to be debarked and an open outlet end for discharging the debarked logs. Typically, the cylindrical drum is provided with barking tools on an inner circumference thereof for applying hammer-like impact blows to logs in the drum, while the same is being rotated.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,300 issued on Apr. 6, 1976 and Canadian Patent No. 994,646 issued on Aug. 10, 1976 to Young disclose a rotatable cylindrical drum having on an inner circumference thereof a plurality of staggered protrusions arcuatetly contoured on all working sides. The protrusions are mounted to the drum by axially spaced-apart annular mounting rings. The protrusions are disposed in staggered spaced relationship to provide random impacts to logs.
Canadian Patent No. 745,445 issued on Nov. 1, 1966 to Delcellier discloses a debarking drum having a plurality of longitudinally extending corrugations on the inner periphery thereof for debarking the logs.
Canadian Patent No. 609,404 issued on Nov. 29, 1960 to Henson discloses a debarking drum having a plurality of longitudinal members of circular cross-section which are mounted to a plurality of axially spaced-apart annular plates so as to form a cylindrical framework. In operation, the logs tumble against each other and the longitudinal members so that the bark thereof knocked off.
Although the debarking drums described in the above mentioned patents are effective for removing the bark from logs, it has been found that a rearrangement of the barking tools would be beneficial to the debarking operations.